Log Cabin Republicans Denied Booth at Texas GOP Convention

The Log Cabin Republicans, an organization of gay conservative activists, have been denied a booth at the Texas GOP convention, which runs June 16-18.

The decision was apparently a close 4-3 vote of the Texas State Republican Executive Committee.

In a statement on Thursday, the Log Cabin Republicans said the Texas convention should allow the organization to host a booth in the name of the Republican Party’s growing “inclusion,” citing the victory of Mexican-American conservative Mayra Flores in this week’s special election in the state’s 34th congressional district.

Our statement on @TexasGOP excluding @LogCabinTexas from the convention:

"Inclusion wins, which makes the Texas Republican Party leadership’s decision to exclude the Texas Log Cabin Republicans from their convention not just narrow-minded, but politically short-sighted." pic.twitter.com/vp1UAZJZtn

— Log Cabin Republicans (@LogCabinGOP) June 17, 2022

“Texas Republicans just saw on Tuesday night what happens when the party includes new faces and voices – a Democrat-held seat was flipped for the first time in nearly a hundred years by a conservative Mexican woman,” the statement said.

“It’s clear that inclusion wins, which makes the Texas Republican Party leadership decision to exclude the Texas Log Cabin Republicans from their convention not just narrow-minded, but politically short-sighted.”

The statement further added that former President Donald Trump expanded the tent of the Republican party to include groups like the Log Cabin Republicans.

“Losers don’t get to change the course of our nation – only winners. And inclusion wins,” the statement concluded.

Former Trump ambassador Richard Grenell shared the statement, and condemned the state party’s actions. He recalled the fact that Andrew Breitbart publicly criticized the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2011 for its refusal to host the gay conservative group GOProud.

Texas GOP denies @LogCabinGOP a booth at the State Convention. (Yes, a simple booth). @MattRinaldiTX voted to deny the booth.

I remember when Andrew Breitbart boycotted CPAC over the same thing. @BreitbartNews. Breitbart won. #itsabooth https://t.co/hXhFu4kmAo

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) June 17, 2022

Breitbart did more than criticize: he threw a party at a nightclub in northwest Washington, D.C., to honor gay conservatives and their supporters who were attending CPAC.

“I will be the harshest critic of the activist gay left, who I fear more than al Qaeda,” Andrew Breitbart said at the time. “But for these people not to exist in the two-party system, for you tell them they’re not welcome in the big tent, I have a huge problem with that, and I’m going to indulge my alt-80s, Depeche Mode, Cure, New Order fetish, and we’re going to have a big ol’ gay party at CPAC.”

Singer Sophie B. Hawkins, a lesbian woman, attended and performed at the party; she “came out” as a Republican.

Other conservatives, including Donald Trump Jr., criticized the Texas GOP’s decision to exclude the Log Cabin Republicans.

“The Texas GOP should focus its energy on fighting back against the radical democrats and weak RINOs currently trying to legislate our 2nd Amendment rights away, instead of canceling a group of gay conservatives who are standing in the breach with us,” he said in an exclusive statement to Breitbart News.

Arthur Schwartz, a Texas-based GOP strategist, told Breitbart News:”Has [state party chair] Matt Rinaldi condemned Senator [John] Cornyn for betraying Texans by conspiring with Chuck Schumer to trample our Second Amendment rights? Or is Matt too busy alienating Republican voters?”

Paul Bois and Joel B. Pollak contributed to this article.

Photo: file